The morning sun illuminated the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 30, before the government partially shut down after Congress failed to reach a budget agreement.

Scary GOP tactics

How many times does Congress have to pass a law before it actually becomes law? For crying out loud, like it or not Obamacare is already the law of the land. Repeal it by shutting down the government? For my part, that's extremely dangerous thinking. How many other laws do we not like that we should repeal by threatening to shut down the government?

Don't like the 14th Amendment to the constitution? Let's threaten to shut down the government till it's repealed. Find a traffic law you don't like? Let's just shut down the government till it's repealed. Pick any law that you don't like, and just think. If you're a Republican congressman, you can threaten to shut down the government if it's not repealed, thus changing forever the constitutional provisions for enacting and repealing legislation.

Just how far Republicans will go in their attempt to repeal an already-enacted law (without actually repealing it) remains to be seen. The Constitution very clearly defines how laws are to be passed and repealed. I guess Republicans think it's simply too risky to abide by the Constitution, so they make up their own rules as they go. But they're playing with people's lives and life savings.

The stock market took a huge hit yesterday when it became obvious that Republicans were going to continue their extortion attempts. And that's just the tip of the iceberg if they follow the same pattern in the upcoming debt ceiling debate.

Republicans' embrace of whacked out tea party ideology is so complete, they'd rather see the world economy teeter on the brink of collapse than to fund a law that's already on the books. Think about it for a few minutes. If that doesn't scare you, I guess there's just about nothing that will.

DAVID P. McINTOSH

Louisville 40219 -

Fight for freedom

The battle being waged by the House Republicans against Obamacare is as important as any battle ever fought in the name of freedom, for the government that controls the people's health care controls the people.

JOHN K. CARTER

La Grange, Ky. 40031 -

Train wreck party

The Republican Party has just caused the federal government to shut down due to their opposition to the new Affordable Care Act that will enable millions in this country to finally have access to quality health care.

They refer to this law as a train wreck even though it doesn't even take effect until January. This is the same party that in the past has referred to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and almost every program that is designed to help the poor and middle class as train wrecks. It appears to me that the real train wreck is the Republican Party and especially the small portion of tea party members that seem to be controlling everything Republicans do in both Houses.

This country needs to wake up and get more involved in off-year elections, primaries, etc. so these types of anarchists do not get elected.

DAVE O'BRYAN

Louisville 40243 -

Ponder priorities

Time to ponder ... What is more important to you: money and guns or humanity and compassion?

MARIE HOURIGAN

Bardstown, Ky. 40004 -

ACA is the compromise

House Republicans are holding America hostage under false pretenses. They refuse to pass a budget bill without defunding the Affordable Care Act and claim that the president and Democrats will not make compromises on a budget bill.

Debate on the ACA should have nothing to do with the budget. The compromises were made when the ACA was passed. The far left wanted single-payer, universal health care coverage; the far right wanted to ... I'm not sure what they wanted to do, other than nothing.

The existing ACA is the compromise between these two positions. Granted, there is room for debate on the ACA, but it has nothing to do with passing a budget or increasing the level of national debt.

Congressmen, get your heads out of your behinds and pass a stand-alone budget bill before you do irreparable harm to the nation.

MICHAEL AUSLANDER

Louisville 40220 -

Exile from office

The Republican Tea Party wants government to protect their wealth but not to care for the poor. They listen to the wealthy as "the American people" but not the rest of us. They support oligarchy but not democracy. If our government does not serve them they want to destroy it. They are subversive to our democracy. Oh America, let us rise up and exile these pagans from public office.

F. RUSSELL BENNETT

Louisville 40216 -

History repeats

So the government is shutting down because the tea party, which now controls the Republican Party, wants to overturn the results of last year's election where President Obama was reelected by 5 million more votes (and 126 more electoral votes) than his opponent. While that is true, the real unspoken aim of the tea party and those who support it is to overturn the results of the Civil War.

American zealots were willing to destroy the United States 150 years ago to support their life of hatred. Now these "wacko birds," as Sen. John McCain calls them, have returned for another shot at destroying this country. In the 1950s, the far right of this same GOP joined Sen. Joe McCarthy in his effort to bring the country to its knees. They were eventually run out of town in shame. Let's hope the results this time around are the same.

RON HALE

Louisville 40223 -

Republican 'treason'

The Affordable Care Act is the single most important legislation I recall in my 40-plus years in America. In England, my health, pre-natal to post-grad, was in a society that values universal health care. My childhood health, dental care and vision care, including leg straightening and eye surgeries, were all prepaid from the pool of money into which my parents paid throughout their working lives making National Insurance contributions. I, too, contributed from my very first, then every, pay packet from age 18. Too many American parents couldn't provide that level of care for their children - until Obama cared.

I cannot convey here the British nation's collective secure feeling with universal health care. So let me ask: Since in Iceland there are 1.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, while there are 6.5 babies dying in America, why are Republicans not examining what Iceland does in their health care system that the U.S. had utterly failed to match? Instead, the Republicans' own death panelists damage this nation's economy to obstruct this country's most important step forward in decades to more widely accessible health care.

The Lord Haw-Haws (Republicans, Rush, Fox News) would wish to perpetuate 360 percent more babies dying in the U.S. in pursuit of ideology. Real lives. Beautiful babies. Condemned by Republican treason.

IAN ELLIS

Louisville 40214 -

Ashamed of Kentucky

I have great difficulty understanding people. Obamacare cannot hurt, but can only help. There are so many people in this country that could benefit from affordable health care. We are not a Third World country and we need to care for all our people. I hear over and over again that the American people don't want Obamacare - affordable health care - for all.

There are people, such as Sen. Mitch McConnell, that have spent their time in the Senate with no agenda except to defeat everything that President Obama brings to Congress for approval. I ask myself this question: Is it because he is black? Are people really that prejudiced?

I know one thing. We have a do-nothing Congress. it is time to look at every congress member's record and if we do, there will be a lot of house cleaning taking place.

I don't need affordable health care, personally, but I know people who do need it and I am ashamed that I have not stood up for these people. I'm ashamed of Kentucky that has put people in office again and again that are so uncaring.

Please wake up before it is too late. God have mercy on us.

JUDITH CLARK

Shelbyville, Ky. 40065 -

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Letters | Government shutdown and Obamacare

How many times does Congress have to pass a law before it actually becomes law? For crying out loud, like it or not Obamacare is already the law of the land.